Support For Mark Carles

This fundraiser is to help Mark pay for his extensive and ongoing medical expenses, particularly his upcoming second surgery.

About Mark: Mark Carles is a 26-year-old avid runner in the Staten Island community. He ran cross-country for St. Peter's Boys' High School and continued his running career at Hunter College. In October 2018, Mark was diagnosed with Stage IV Fibrolamellar (fibro-la-mel-lar) Hepatocellular Carcinoma. This incurable and rare liver cancer (1 in every 5 million) occurs in adolescents and young adults who have no history of liver disease. Currently, there are no known causes of fibrolamellar nor effective treatment options other than liver resection surgery, which can be curative before a metastatic spread.

Mark's late-term diagnosis has put him through a series of treatments and surgeries to prolong his fight. Mark's next battle is undergoing a surgical procedure to remove several cancerous tumors in his stomach and peritoneum. To better understand the extent of his metastatic growth: the cancer in the peritoneum is the size of a bagel; he has another in the stomach the size of an orange; it has metastasized to both lungs, several lymph nodes throughout his body, and continues to grow in the liver. Looking Back: You have all given to contribute to Mark's past treatment: his remarkable surgery in February of 2019 was a notable success. He, too, had undergone targeted chemotherapy (January 2020), which regrettably failed to reduce his tumors. Soon after, Mark entered himself into a clinical trial (April 2020). This clinical trial is an immuno-therapy-centered treatment based out of Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.

Mark would commute with his family, bearing the cost of lodging and travel to pursue this groundbreaking development for his cancer treatment. This treatment consists of a synthetic vaccine with two checkpoint inhibitors, designed to have Mark's white blood cells recognize and attack the cancerous cells. This treatment has shown promising results, as the tumors have remarkably shrunk. However, with the degradation of these tumors, Mark's ammonia levels have increased; as a result, emitting toxins throughout the body. Emergency surgery is needed to remove these tumors and, thus, eliminate the source of these toxic ammonia levels. After all that Mark has been through, his body has taken a toll, and Mark is currently 109 lbs. Due to the current pandemic, COVID-19, treatments have been delayed, and extreme precautions have to be taken into account with Mark, due to all his pre-existing conditions.

Mark wants to thank everyone for their continued support and generosity during his journey. Mark will graciously accept any donation or a home-cooked meal during these turbulent and challenging times.